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NAPERVILLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DeVry University celebrates its 90th year as a pacesetter for innovative education and online learning, as it continues its mission of providing students with educational pathways to help prepare them for careers in todays rapidly transforming economy.

Distance learning has come a long way since 1912, when Dr. Herman DeVry invented the Theater in a Suitcase, a Model E portable projector that shifted the education technology paradigm. By 1913, these projectors became standard technology in U.S. schools nationwide. Almost 20 years later, in 1931, Dr. DeVry and Dr. Lee DeForest founded DeForest Training School, now DeVry University, in Chicago to prepare students for technical careers of that time.

Since then, DeVry has offered programs that respond to converging technologies and the changing nature of work. This is reflected in the courses and programs offered (e.g., certificates, undergraduate and graduate degrees, stackable credentials) and in teaching modalities (e.g., traditional classroom instruction, online and hybrid learning). DeVrys goals remain unchanged: to help students prepare for meaningful careers that ultimately help close societys opportunity gaps.

DeVry Through the Decades

DeVrys 90-year history is steeped in technology and innovation, and through the years, shows how it has been an innovator in multidisciplinary programming and distance learning.

As we review our long history of serving students and evolving both what we teach and how we teach, we take pride in the north star that has guided us since 1931 to help students better their lives through an education that prepares them to thrive in workplaces shaped by continuous technological change, said Tom Monahan, president and CEO of DeVry University. As we emerge from the health and economic crisis of the pandemic, DeVrys expertise at meeting the needs of adult and nontraditional learners will be vital to helping students, communities and corporate partners reap the benefits of a markedly more inclusive workplace and a markedly more digital future.

The digital transformation of the workforce and the economy has rapidly accelerated due to the pandemic. According to the United Nations, workers with limited digital skills will find themselves at a disadvantage compared to those who are better equipped for the digital economy. From training students with early 20th century electronics to preparing learners today for digital era disciplines such as data and analytics, security, cloud and platform architecture, and digital health, DeVry leveraged its heritage to provide curriculum and programs that help students develop the interdisciplinary tech skills needed for future-ready careers.

Ever since I started teaching mathematics at DeVry in 1975, the University has been an early adopter of new technology, said Senior Professor Veronica Schreiber, DeVrys longest-standing faculty member. Weve always piloted new technology, and this has allowed me to create new learning opportunities to help my students succeed. DeVry encourages and embraces innovation, embracing that the more tech tools we incorporate, the more ways we can help our students.

About DeVry University

DeVry University strives to close societys opportunity gap by preparing learners to thrive in careers shaped by continuous technological change. Founded in 1931, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs onsite and online within six areas of study: Accounting, Business, Healthcare, Technology, Liberal Arts, and Media Arts & Technology. The university is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC, http://www.hlcommission.org/). To learn more, visit devry.edu.

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DeVry University Celebrates Its 90th Anniversary With History Steeped in Technology and Innovation - Business Wire

NEWTON, Mass. The University of Massachusetts Amherst and Digital Ready, a Boston-based non-profit, have launched a groundbreaking new living learning lab to give talented, young Black and Latinx students from Boston Public Schools a no-cost head start to a STEM degree from UMass.

Beginning in September 2021, Digital Readys Living Learning Lab on the Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst will offer approximately 40 Boston Public School graduates the opportunity to live in an experiential learning environment, where students will be immersed in an innovative community and have the resources and support to identify their purpose and their passions in STEM. The unique model is intended to provide underrepresented young people students of color, first-generation college students, and students from low-income backgrounds with the knowledge, skills and networks to pursue careers in Greater Bostons innovation economy.

The first cohort will live in a dedicated residential community on the 72-acre Newton campus and participate in a customized Digital Ready Pathway of UMass Amhersts Exploratory Pathways Program. In addition to housing and a meal plan, students will receive personalized academic coaching, rigorous coursework tied to emerging technologies, and hands-on and work-based learning opportunities with industry partners. At the end of the year, students will have the opportunity to join a full-time undergraduate program at UMass Amherst, with 18 college credits, a year of college experience, and a supportive network of champions at no cost to them or their families.

Living and learning together will allow students the opportunity to share ideas, collaborate on innovative projects, and have the resources they need to bring their ideas to life and figure out how they want to change the world, said Dr. Sarah Cherry Rice, executive director of Digital Ready. All of the support is what makes it work coaching, no-cost tuition, housing, bus passes. These are the barriers that sometimes prevent Boston students from reaching their full potential. We are thrilled to have this level of investment from UMass and our industry and community partners. We want to create permanent change that breaks cycles of poverty and puts students and their families on a path to economic mobility in Boston.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst established the Newton campus in 2018 to provide experiential learning and professional development opportunities for its students while building connections with the Greater Boston region, including with prospective students from underrepresented groups. The campus provides housing for undergraduate students conducting internships and co-ops in the Boston area, offers career and professional development programming, and facilitates hands-on and industry-connected projects for students. It also hosts companies interested in co-locating with the Commonwealths flagship public research university, which in turn offer internships, informational interviews and networking opportunities to students.

This program aligns perfectly with our strategic plan for the Mount Ida Campus, our effort to expand exploratory pathways to a UMass degree, and our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, said UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy. We believe this could become a new model for how to assist historically underrepresented students in transitioning to college and eventually into careers in the Commonwealths thriving economy.

The Digital Ready Pathway of UMass Amhersts Exploratory Pathways Program will provide students with cohort-specific introductory courses in computer science, engineering, architecture, building construction technology and math. The students will have access to all the learning resources offered by UMass with significant personalized support from Digital Ready.

STEM programs such as computer science and engineering are among our most competitive at the undergraduate level, said UMass Amherst Provost John McCarthy. Designing pathways such as this one which ensures access to appropriate introductory courses, provides a supportive learning environment, and takes student wellbeing into account increases the likelihood of student success and in turn makes those programs more accessible and inclusive. That is consistent with our effort across all of our academic programs to attract and retain a diverse and representative student body.

In addition to dedicated residential space, the students will have access to collaborative work space for projects, and participate in all aspects of campus life alongside the full-time UMass undergraduate students on the Newton campus.

I really believe in my ability to build the future and I really wanted a good place to set that foundation. I know that being on a college campus surrounded by all of that technology and support will put me in an environment to change the world, said Malik Carr, a current student at BDEA 2.0 who hopes to join the living learning lab this fall.

The 40-student cohort will be selected from a group of approximately 160 students participating in Digital Readys Summer Studios with industry partners: architecture and construction with the Boston Society for Architecture, engineering technology with Autodesk, computer science and autonomous vehicles with Microsoft, and design for virtual reality with XR Terra. The Living Learning Lab cohort will move onto the Mount Ida Campus in September and remain through the end of UMass academic year in May 2022.

About Digital Ready

Digital Ready is a Boston-based non-profit with a mission to activate the creative potential of high school students, especially underrepresented young peoplestudents from low-income backgrounds and students of colorwith the agency, social capital and skills to build their own pathways to economic mobility and success in Bostons innovation economy. For more information, visit http://www.digitalready.org or follow @digitalreadyboston on Instagram and Twitter @digitalreadyMA.

About the Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst

The Mount Ida Campus of UMass Amherst serves as a center for student experiential learning, industry engagement, academic and research collaboration, and fundraising in Greater Boston, which is home to a plurality of UMass Amherst students and alumni. Acquired from the former Mount Ida College in 2018, the campus exists to connect the states flagship public research university to the Greater Boston community and serves as a secondary instructional site for UMass Amherst, offering an undergraduate program in Veterinary Technology, graduate programs in Statistics and Business and Analytics, undergraduate courses in Building Construction Technology, and graduate courses in Geographic Information Science and Technology.

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UMass, Digital Ready Offer Early College STEM Living Learning Lab for Boston Students - UMass News and Media Relations

On May 14, six MIT instructors were honored with the 2021 MITx Prize for Teaching and Learning in MOOCs. The prize, established in 2016, honors excellence in creating Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) for MITx on edX. Anyone in the MIT community can submit nominations, including MITx MOOC creators, and awardees are selected by the MITx Faculty Advisory Committee.

The award was given to two courses this year,honoring faculty and instructors from four disciplines. Jonathan Gruber, Ford Professor of Economics, was honored for his 14.01x (APMicroeconomics) course, which uses MIT materials geared toward high school learners to help them prepare for the College Board exam. The other course recognized, 15.480x (The Science and Business of Biotechnology),was created by professors Andrew Lo of the MIT Sloan School of Management and Harvey Lodish of the Department of Biology, along with graduate students Zied Ben Chaouch of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and Kate Koch of the Department of Biology, as well as Shomesh Chaudhuri '14, PhD '18, an EECS graduate.

2020 MITx Prize for Teaching and Learning in MOOCs

The MITx Faculty Advisory Committee assesses prize nominees on four criteria: effective and engaging teaching methods, learner-focused innovation, residential impact and reuse, and global reach and impact. It is that last criterion that has drawn the most focus over the past year; in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, demand for the established, high-quality resources offered by MIT Open Learning has been higher than ever.

Now more than ever, by opening MIT teaching and learning to the world, our MITx courses are making a global impact, says Dean for Digital Learning Krishna Rajagopal. The courses honored with this award are exemplars of the best of MITx, and of MIT. They reach quite different audiences; high school students in one case, current and future leaders in biotechnology in the other. In both cases, they are doing so in ways that are sparking new curiosity and interest and opening new opportunities for their learners worldwide.

Grubers Microeconomics course is a perfect example of a learning resource that has grown beyond its original purpose to reach a diverse international audience. Gruber first designed the course in 2017 to fill the void of preparatory materials available to U.S. students planning to take the AP Microeconomics exam; he notes that few high schools offer any kind of support or formal training for the test. The MOOC is structured around the exam curriculum, to serve either as standalone training or as a supplement to instructor-led courses. But perhaps in part because of its wide-ranging, pop-culture savvy appeal (Gruber uses LeBron James basketball career, Kim Kardashians Instagram account, and the pros and cons of attending university as just a few of his real-world economics examples) the course has found a truly global audience with learners from 180 countries.

Gruber has also used the course to develop and implement a very practical economic policy of his own. He has done away with assigning a required and costly textbook for his students in his residential MIT version of the course, instead assigning materials from the MOOC and other free, open source MIT learning materials as a supplement to class lectures and notes. David Autor, Ford Professor of Economics, in support of the courses nomination, commended the labor of love that is Grubers course, and how with each new iteration of the MOOC, his colleague builds bridges for high school students, [opening] pathways that were previously cloudy or just invisible. Over time, says Autor, the course will foster diversity and inclusion by seeding opportunity where it was absent.

The Science and Business of Biotechnology course team was no less ambitious in creating their multidisciplinary exploration of the industry, setting up the course based on the comprehensive, research-led approach theyd like to see companies adopt. Like Gruber, course leaders Andrew Lo and Harvey Lodish have personal connections to their subject: Lo was moved to make change in the sector after experiencing disillusionment with biotech during loved ones battles with cancer. Lodish has witnessed the enormous impact of the biotech industry on both personal and professional levels: years after he co-founded Genzyme, his daughter gave birth to a son who depends on one of the companys medicines for treatment of a chronic health condition.

The teams dedication and well-balanced approach to a multifaceted industry has been a smashing success. Calling Lo and Lodish superstars in his letter of support, Institute Professor Robert Langer lauded the courses comprehensive approach to the subject matter, finding it essential for those who would seek to make a real impact on the biotech industry. Heidi Pickett, assistant dean for the MIT Sloan Master of Finance Program, also praised the combination of subject areas explored throughout the course, citing its ability to redress weaknesses in individual learners skill sets; those coming from a finance background, for example, would benefit from a deeper engagement with the science of biotech, while still gaining knowledge in their primary field. She also spoke to the courses wide appeal: Considering the importance of topics discussed presented in 15.480x, it is no wonder the course attracted learners from around the world bringing different backgrounds and perspectives, she says, adding that lively exchanges between users on the courses discussion boards greatly enhanced the learning experience.

After a year when so many learners struggled to adapt to a sudden shift to remote education, MITx Director Dana Doyle finds ample reason to celebrate the power of intentional online teaching and learning. In a time when people everywhere have felt both increasingly isolated and increasingly connected by the experience of the pandemic, its so heartening to witness how these courses have brought learners together to dive into important, complex global issues.

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2021 MITx Prize winners build community on campus and across the globe - MIT News

Darrik Teller and his team of security operations center analysts figured something was up when they saw a Russian-based IP address pinging a system a couple hundred times over approximately a minute and a half.

The requests were made to the system of an Eastern Washington municipality that Teller and his team monitored earlier this year. After some more research into the IP address, Teller said the group brought their suspicions to higher authorities as a likely threat.

What ended up happening was the incident responders agreed with us that it was a little weird seeing a Russian IP address trying to find vulnerabilities in the system, Teller said, to which they then blacklisted that IP and sent it to other municipalities in the area.

All in a days work for entry-level security analysts working for a small local government except Teller and his team were not government employees.

Theyre Eastern Washington University students.

Their experience was a fruit of a Washington-based nonprofits effort to provide a level of protection to municipalities and government agencies in need while offering real-life experience to cybersecurity students.

The Public Infrastructure Security Cyber Education System (PISCES) collaborates with participating colleges and universities so cybersecurity students can monitor real web traffic from government organizations for potential attacks and anomalies. After evaluating the threat, students escalate the issues as needed to higher-level cybersecurity authorities with PISCES.

PISCES is partnered with the the Department of Homeland Security and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Members of the board include Dan Wordell, information security officer for the City of Spokane.

City, county, maritime port or any other type of small government organization with less than 150 employees are eligible for free PISCES services. Participating students sign a nondisclosure agreement.

Current participants include public organizations in Spokane Valley, Covington and Port Townsend, according to the Wall Street Journal. Spokane Valley officials did not immediately return a request for comment.

Its been really productive for the students, and we are doing a much-needed service for the municipalities that we cover, and we cover municipalities across the entire state of Washington, said Mark Neufville, the instructor for Spokane Falls Community Colleges PISCES coursework.

Michael Hamilton, a co-founder of PISCES, declined to publicly disclose the list of participating public-sector organizations. Hamilton said the staffing eligibility threshold ensures the nonprofit does not compete with private-sector companies.

Its metadata; we cant read email, we dont see your webpage, we dont see financial transactions or anything like that. We see who you talked to, what time it was, how long the conversation lasted, etc. Hamilton said. Collecting metadata and then using it as real-time curriculum for students we make practitioners that have operational experience.

Eastern, Western and Central Washington universities, SFCC, Green River College and Alabama A&M University are the current program participants. PISCES is in the process of expanding into at least Colorado and Idaho.

Originally, this was going to be the employee pipeline for my company, said Hamilton, chief information security officer for the Washington-based CI Security. Now, were in a fistfight with Boeing and General Electric. (Students) are getting snapped up like crazy.

Students arent paid; rather, they get class credit and can earn a certificate from PISCES after monitoring for a certain amount of hours, said Stu Steiner, assistant professor of computer science at EWU.

WWU, the first university to start the class, manages the curriculum with input from the other participating schools, said Erik Fretheim, the director of WWUs cybersecurity program.

We try to make it as easy as possible for the schools to do it, but it is a somewhat demanding class for schools to teach because the instructors have to really know their stuff well since theyre dealing with live information, said Freitheim, who sits on the PISCES board. They cant just hope to wing it and stay a chapter ahead of the students because they can get any type of question at any time.

After WWU, SFCC was among the first institutions to sign on for a PISCES curriculum to complement its degree programs in cybersecurity and information systems and technology, said Lenaya Hogan, SFCCs Bachelor of Applied Science program coordinator. As part of the program, SFCC students have put together reports on potential threats they have raised to higher authorities.

Hogan said the PISCES program offers students a reality check with what they might want to do later in life.

Its kind of like an internship or something like that nature that it gives you that real-life experience to build your confidence, she said.

EWU, meanwhile, ran through the program for the first time this past winter quarter from January through April. With the project, EWU juniors and seniors each worked 10 hours per week in teams, cooperating with other schools to cover shifts throughout the day without overlap.

For the 2022 winter quarter, Steiner said he hopes to ease students into the work with controlled practice runs, as the amount of data from the public-sector organizations can be pretty overwhelming at first.

For my students and for our Eastern students, just that hands-on experience, theres nothing like it in the world, Steiner said.

Teller, who will start at General Motors next month, can attest to that.

Graduating with a bachelors degree in computer science, Teller said he was told in his job offer that the real-life experience is part of what set him apart from other candidates.

The programs of those using the PISCES project are definitely something that was good for the students, good for the school and also good for the security of the municipalities that we were supporting, he said. Being able to have 50-60 students have eyes on this data, to which were providing monitoring almost 24/7, is very much something that is good for everyone involved in that process.

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How students at EWU, SFCC are helping local governments with cybersecurity protection - The Spokesman-Review